Kilby sees education as key to city's future

FALL RIVER — City Councilor Bradford L. Kilby said he wants to help move his hometown in the right direction.

BRIAN BOYD

FALL RIVER — City Councilor Bradford L. Kilby said he wants to help move his hometown in the right direction.

"It's just a genuine belief that if elected mayor, I can make the city a better place," Mr. Kilby said when asked why he entered the fray.

Born and raised in Fall River, Mr. Kilby has served on the School Committee and City Council.

In regard to jobs, he sees education as key. He said the city has been making a transition in recent decades from a manufacturing city to a new economy, one in which biotechnology, telecommunications and the arts are the future.

The city will not attract those industries unless it improves the school system, he said.

"I firmly believe that the city has no future without a total commitment to public education, both financially and philosophically," Mr. Kilby said.

To attract businesses, officials also have to be more aggressive in marketing the city throughout the country, Mr. Kilby said.

He proposes that Bristol Community College, UMass Dartmouth, the Chamber of Commerce and the Office of Economic Development join forces as a marketing team.

To address crime, Mr. Kilby and his campaign reached out to Boston and Providence police to learn how they combat gun and gang violence. The answer is community policing, he said.

Mr. Kilby said he wants police to assign teams of officers to specific areas, because each neighborhood has its own needs. He is not at this time specifically planning substations.

"I propose decentralizing our Police Department and actually breaking down our sectors so they are truly neighborhood driven," he said.

He wants to increase the number of officers through grants.

He also said he favors reducing the amount of public housing projects, with state approval, and replacing them with homes working families can afford.

For his education policy, Mr. Kilby said he wants to hold school officials accountable. He also said he is against placing undue pressure on officials when it comes to hiring decisions.

"It's also very important that the next mayor is not a micro-manager of any department," he said.